Grading the National Economy

Small business became much more pessimistic in November with the major small business index tumbling 5.6 points, the steepest one-month decline in history! Consumers are slightly more optimistic with retail sales climbing 0.3% in November, offsetting the 0.3% decline in October. Elsewhere, inflation is in check at the headline, intermediate, and crude stages and industrial production may be slowly inching back to where it was in summer. Overall score: C.